State of Louisiana v. Larry Charles Hargrove

Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided September 28, 2022·No. KA-0022-0158·Unknown

Opinion

STATE OF LOUISIANA COURT OF APPEAL, THIRD CIRCUIT

22-158

STATE OF LOUISIANA VERSUS

LARRY CHARLES HARGROVE

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APPEAL FROM THE NINTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF RAPIDES, NO. 351,285 HONORABLE GREG BEARD, DISTRICT JUDGE

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VAN H. KYZAR JUDGE

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Court composed of Elizabeth A. Pickett, Van H. Kyzar, and Candyce G. Perret, Judges.

AFFIRMED.

Chad M. Ikerd

Louisiana Appellate Project

P. O. Box 2125

Lafayette, LA 70502

(337) 366-8994

COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT/APPELLANT: Larry Charles Hargrove

J. Phillip Terrell, Jr.

District Attorney

Catherine L. Davidson

Assistant District Attorney

Ninth Judicial District

P. O. Box 7358

Alexandria, La 71306-7358

(318) 473-6650

COUNSEL FOR PLAINTIFF/APPELLEE: State of Louisiana

KYZAR, Judge.

The defendant, Larry Charles Hargrove, appeals his conviction for the offense of possession of heroin, for which he was sentenced to serve a term of imprisonment of five years at hard labor. He specifically challenges the denial of a pre-trial motion to suppress evidence and the trial court’s ruling sustaining the State’s objection to a line of questioning during the cross examination of the arresting officer. For the reasons herein, we affirm the conviction and sentence imposed.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Defendant was charged by bill of information, filed on February 8, 2021, with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, Schedule I, heroin, between two and twenty-eight grams, in violation of La.R.S. 40:966(C)(4)(b). Following an October 27, 2021 jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of one count of possession of a Schedule I controlled dangerous substance. He was later sentenced to serve five years at hard labor.

The basic facts leading to the arrest and conviction of Defendant are not complex. On the night of February 8, 2021, Officer Brian Frost of the Alexandria Police Department (APD), responded to a disturbance call and possible burglary in progress at 1812 Day Street.’ As he turned his patrol unit onto Day Street, he heard a single gunshot from what he perceived to be a handgun. At that point, Officer Frost alerted the dispatcher regarding the gunshot and proceeded to 1812 Day Street, where he heard the shot fired. As he slowly approached the residence, he testified

that he “observed two subjects come from the side of the residence, look out,” and

' At the hearing on the motion to suppress, the parties stipulated to the introduction of Officer Frost’s written report in lieu of his live testimony. Officer Frost’s testimony during the jury trial was consistent with the information contained in his written report. “In determining whether the trial court’s ruling on a motion to suppress Is correct, an appellate court is not limited to the evidence presented at a motion to suppress hearing, but also may consider pertinent evidence presented at trial.” State v. Sam, 11-469, p. 10 (La.-App. 5 Cir. 2/14/12), 88 So.3d 580, 586, writ denied, 12-631 (La. 9/12/12), 98 So.3d 301.

take off running towards the corner of Orchard Street and Rapides Avenue. Ina call to the dispatcher, Officer Frost described the suspects as two black males, approximately six feet tall and weighing between 150-180 pounds, with medium length hair and wearing dark shirts and pants. He stated that the suspects were running from the area. At some point Officer Frost later learned the names of the suspects and relayed that information over the police radio.

Officer Frost testified Corporal (Cpl.) Silton Innerarity, who was on duty in another patrol unit for APD, had the description from the radio, and Cpl. Innerarity started triangulating the area by turning nearby corners and searching for the suspects. Officer Frost testified that to run a person’s information through the reporting system, he would need a first and last name and a date of birth. Officer Frost said that entering only a first name would be difficult for him to do anything with unless it was a nickname or moniker.

Cpl. Innerarity testified at both the trial and the hearing on the motion to suppress and detailed his response to the incident.’ While searching for the suspects, he overheard on the radio Officer Frost’s description of and at one point a name of at least one of the suspects. Within ten to fifteen minutes of receiving that information, Cpl. Innerarity noticed someone off to his right as he neared the end of Cottage Street. The subject, who was later determined to be Defendant, took off running. Cpl. Innerarity, after circling around, eventually located Defendant at 19 Ball Powell Street, where Defendant was sitting in front of the residence, near a small fire.

When Cpl. Innerarity approached him, Defendant was very uncooperative,

refusing to give his full name, but eventually admitting that his first name was Larry.

? Cpl. Innerarity testified in person at the hearing on the motion to suppress and at trial. He testified similarly in both hearings.

Cpl. Innerarity testified that Defendant, who was sweating, fit the description given by Officer Frost as to the suspects’ physical characteristics and clothing. Based on Defendant’s failure to identify himself many times during the course of the encounter, Cpl. Innerarity determined that he had probable cause to arrest him for resisting an officer. He further performed search of Defendant’s person for officer safety based on the fact that Defendant had come from the area where shots were fired, he fit the description of the suspects involved in that incident, and he continued to resist Cpl. Innerarity’s request for identification. During the search, Cpl. Innerarity found a knife in Defendant’s pocket, but no gun, as well as narcotics in his wallet, which was later determined to be heroin. Cpl. Innerarity ultimately placed Defendant under arrest for possession of narcotics but advised Defendant that he was not arresting him for resisting an officer.

On September 15, 2021, Defendant filed a motion to suppress the evidence of the drugs found in his wallet during the search by Cpl. Innerarity. During the October 25, 2021 hearing, the State introduced, in addition to testimony from Cpl. Innerarity, Officer Frost’s report, APD’s incident report, and a map marked by Cpl. Innerarity. Defendant introduced Cpl. Innerarity’s bodycam and dashcam footage.

Cpl. Innerarity’s bodycam video reflected the following actions. At approximately thirty seconds into the video, Cpl. Innerarity made contact with a juvenile suspect. During the suppression hearing and the trial, he testified that he believed that the juvenile did not fit with the description given by Officer Frost, as Innerarity had previously observed the juvenile earlier in the day, so he let him move on. At one minute and ten seconds, a voice is heard over the police radio saying that one of the suspects was named “Brandon Eli.” During the first five minutes of the video, Cpl. Innerarity was heard accelerating his vehicle and then turning the

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